High costs hamper animation industry

Locally-made cartoon series Freej cost Dh50 million over the past three years, said Mohammed Saeed Harib, its creator.

He was speaking at a Ramadan Majlis organised by the Dubai Press Club.

Leading figures from the UAE animation industry also spoke at the gathering.

They highlighted that exorbitant production costs and unlimited amount of time and efforts for completion are the main challenges facing the animation cartoon industry in the country.

The wide-ranging discussion at the majlis was led by Haider Mohammed, Producer of Sha'biyat Al Cartoon, Mohammed Saeed Harib, Producer of Freej and Najla Al Shahhi, Producer of Khusa Busa, all popular animated cartoons produced in the UAE. Nour al Din Yousef of Dubai Press Club moderated the discussion.

While the producer of Freej attributed the absence of the popular series during this Ramadan to the need for a break and the time for preparing for a stronger return to the scene, Mohammed said the animation industry in the country was still at the nascent stage and had a long way to go.

Al Shahhi declined to comment on the experience of Khusa Busa during this Ramadan, saying it would be premature to do so before it is completed.

However, she drew attention to the variety of characters and plots that marked the series, as well as the way recreation was combined with a good dose of politics and social issues of wider concern. The producers also pointed out that their genre of animated cartoons required the services of a wide variety of specialists, making the task rather complicated and difficult to accomplish.

They all appreciated the generous support they received from the government and the public.

They were unanimous in concluding that the financial support from private and public sector organisations played a crucial role in the development of the UAE?animation industry.

Providing a lighter touch to the occasion, some of the artists from the popular serials imitated the voices of the characters, sending the audience to long bouts of laughter and mirth.

Similarly, the raffle draw that the Press Club organised saw a few of journalists winning prizes.

Close on the heels of the cartoon majlis, Dubai Press Club is all set to host a significant majlis today on the state of the services sector in the country. The discussion on the services sector would be led by Hussain Lootah, General Manager, Dubai Municipality and Saeed Tair, CEO, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

Ahmed Majid of Dubai TV will moderate the programme. The programme will discuss issues concerning the services industry in the country today.

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